Kicking off Eun Sun Kim’s plan to take on one Verdi and one Wagner opera a year, Lohengrin (along with Il Trovatore) represents Kim’s first installment of the plan. I’m curious to know what the rationale, if any, behind the Trovatore-Lohengrin pairing is. Both demand a strong tenor-soprano-mezzo-baritone quadfecta, and various reviews have characterized Lohengrin as Wagner’s most Italianate work. Within this context, perhaps the parallel demands and somewhat similarity make sense. Lohengrin allows Kim to explore Wagner but stay closer to her Italianate comfort zone. Whatever the case may be, and my wild speculation aside, I think it’s a fascinating project, and if the quality of productions is anything like this season’s Trovatore, and this Lohengrin, I can’t wait to see what’s next.
This is my second time seeing Lohengrin this year. I saw it in March, at The Met with Piotr Beczala as Lohengrin, Tamara Wilson as Elsa, Christine Goerke as Ortrud, Thomas Hall as Telramund, and Günther Groissbock as Heinrich. That performance I liked, but I thought dragged in a lot of areas. I also didn’t care for the setting of the Met’s version as that was essentially Lohengrin as a B-movie space opera with Lohengrin looking like he stumbled onto set from Casual Friday on Wall Street. Beyond the questionable setting, the Met’s Lohengrin lacked chemistry between its central couple, and the Ortrud-Telramund dynamic was a campy, and bumbling duo, without a real sense of malice. The singing, however, was excellent and Beczala’s Italiante Lohengrin was a nice contrast to the more traditional heldentenor voice that undertakes the role. Tamara Wilson’s Elsa was fantastic, though spacey, and Christine Goerke’s Ortrud was predictably big-voiced, but campy. I enjoyed the performance, but I didn’t feel as if it was an opera that I needed to see again. Thus going into SF Opera’s Lohengrin, I was worried, that I would have similar feelings.
Lohengrin came at an interesting time in Wagner’s creative output. It followed Der fliegende Holländer, Tannhauser, and Wagner’s earlier lesser-known operas, but came before the Ring Cycle, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, and Parsifal. I see it as a middle ground, introducing his leitmotifs but not leaning into them, with cabaletta-like moments not seen after, and a less thorough-composed style that was developed later. There’s a feeling of arias, but they’re looser without totally clear, stops and starts. Plot-wise, it explores elements seen in other works. Here, there’s tension between the Christian and Pagan, militaristic conflict, and a mystical central character. My favorite moments are the more tender, ethereal moments of the score, namely the stunning prelude to Act 1, Lohengrin’s entrance, Elsa’s Act 2 aria, “Euch luften”, and the splendid Act 3 duet.
The Plot
Lohengrin’s plot involves centers around a mythical grail knight who has descended to Earth to protect some chick named Elsa. King Heinrich (Henry the Folwer irl) is at war with the Hungarians and is in Brabant to recruit the Brabantines (Brabantians?) into his fight. Along with this problem, the child-Duke of Brabant has disappeared while on a walk with his sister Elsa. Friedrich of Telramund accuses Elsa of killing her brother and when the King asks Elsa what she has to say in her defense, she invokes her 5th Amendment rights for some reason and just describes her dream where a knight will come down and defend her ass. When everyopne’s basically like girl what the hell are you talking about, the King decides to just do trial by combat as a stand-in for God’s will (a convenient way of shifting blame if you ask me). At this point, Elsa manifests Lohengrin showing up, which he does on a boat pulled by swans. He and Friedrich fight and he kicks Friedrich’s ass. In return for fighting for her, Lohengrin asks Elsa to be his wife, on the condition that she never ask his name. She agrees. The next act finds Telramund and his wife Ortrud putting into motion their plan to ruin Elsa and Lohengrin’s relationship by sowing doubt in her mind. Also, Ortrud is Pagan which is a no-no. Ortrud is successful in infiltrating Elsa’s circle and sows doubts in her mind about Lohengrin. Some stuff happens, and as Lohengrin and Elsa are entering the church, Ortrud rushes in and is basically just like let’s just everybody calm the fuck down because who the hell is this guy and why are we following his ass. Everybody is basically like whatever, he can fight so it’s cool, go away. End of act 2. Act 3 opens with Lohengrin and Elsa in their bridal chamber. They sing an amazing duet, but Elsa’s curiosity gets the better of her and she asks the fatal question of Lohengrin’s name. Before he can answer, Telramund rushes in to kill Lohengrin but is himself killed. Since Elsa asked the question, Lohengrin must leave now, but not before he tells the King and everyone else that Elsa betrayed him. He then reveals that he’s Lohengrin, son of Parsifal, a grail knight, and sent from heaven. Ortrud also shows back up and is like the swan is actually Gottfried, and Lohengrin turns him back into a child. Lohengrin dips and the opera ends. I think Elsa is also dead.
The Staging
The staging here transposed the action to what I can only assume is 1930s-40s Germany. The set revolved two moving pieces showing a war-torn city. Obviously, this was not a historically accurate production, but in keeping the militaristic conflict as a background, I found this staging to be effective. The staging also changed as the action went on. Act 2 comes with a giant-ass swan statue in the back, presumably dedicated to Lohengrin, while Act 3 unveiled bigass Nazi swan banners, which I found to be a little much, but effective. Overall, I enjoyed the production. It was relevant, appropriate, and well-done.
The Singing
As the titular hero, Simon O’Neill displayed great stamina, fine singing, and adequate acting. His entrance in Act 1 “Nun sei bedankt”, was particularly beautiful displaying an elegant voice. Lohengrin is a role that O’Neill has done numerous times, and I got the sense that he knew exactly how to use his resources throughout the night. My only gripe is that I felt that as the there was not enough dynamic variation in his performance. In the Act 3 love duet, for example, I would’ve preferred more piano singing from O’Neill. Elsa is right there; I don’t think you need to be singing forte at her. That being said, I did enjoy O’Neill’s voice in person. Returing to my observation about pacing his resources, I got the sense that he wasn’t pushing his voice to its fullest power, mostly because he didn’t need to, but also because he knew when he had to.
O’Neill’s characterization of Lohengrin was more grounded and human than his character suggests he should be. Lohengrin is a grail knight, son of Parsifal, and sent by God, who comes on a swan chariot to defend some random chick. He’s alien to Brabant, and somewhat sheltered to the outside world it seems, yet O’Neill’s take on him was more everyday, and less ethereal. I don’t mind this interpretation and I think it meaningfully grounds his character to be more relatable and understandable, but I think O’Neill missed the mystical aspect of his character that’s crucial. All in all, a very very solid performance from one of the world’s leading heldentenors.
As Lohengrin’s love interest Elsa, Julie Adams displayed a rich dramatic soprano voice in the making, along with good acting instincts. A former Merola member and Adler fellow, Adams’ voice was large, well-controlled, and able to convey Elsa’s character. Her two arias “Einsam in truban tagen”, and “Euch luften die mein klagen” were well sung, leaning into a more Italianate way of singing. I didn’t detect any strain at any point, and the voice easily sailed over the orchestra. This is a voice that I think will be well known in the future, if not very soon.
Adams was also a very capable actress and was convincing in her portrayal of Elsa. From the moment she crawled out of her dungeon prison cell, to her staid belief in Lohengrin, and to the moment when her curiosity overwhelms her and she can’t resist asking the forbidden question, I felt that Adams portrayal of Elsa was totally believable. As a character Elsa can easily be this spacey, slightly looney character, detached from reality, but Adams refused to go down that path and instead showed an Elsa that’s fervent in her belief, but ultimately human in her desire to know her spouse’s name and the regret of the consequences of her actions.
Making her SF Opera debut, Judit Kutasi’s Ortrud was big-voiced, and menacing. The voice is a dramatic mezzo, apt to a role like Ortrud, but I think would also excel in Verdi (which she does sing). Her “Entweighte götter” was strong, dark, and passionate, bringing out her character’s inherent malevolence and continuing belief in the Old Gods. When I saw Christine Goerke as Ortrud, I felt she also had a big Ortrud, but that her characterization was too campy. Here, Kutasi toned down the theatrics to portray an Ortrud, that’s calculating and intelligent as she tries to put her spouse on the throne. A very good debut from a voice I hope will return soon.
As Telramund, Brian Mulligan’s baritone was ample, and strongly characterized. His voice was easily heard over the orchestra, and the tone of his voice was round and enjoyable. His Telramund had more autonomy than one would probably expect, presenting him as a strong character in his own right. Without a doubt, Ortrud still calls all the shots in the relationship, but Mulligan’s Telramund wasn’t meek, instead going along with his wife’s plans for his own purposes as well. I enjoyed this take, and together with Kutasi’s Ortrud, they presented a villainous couple that was truly a formidable duo without the bumbling campiness that could take over the two roles.
In smaller roles, Kristinn Sigmundsson, and Thomas Lehman were fine as King Heinrich, and the King’s Herald, respectively. Sigmundsson’s bass lacked bite at times, and his voice was drowned out, but he’s also 72. I don’t know if an old king was what they were going for, but with his voice, and appearance, it was a credible portrayal. Lehman’s Herald had a big, and strong voice, and there were a couple moments where I was wondering if he should’ve been the one singing Telramund.
The Conducting
The real stars of the night, however, were Kim and the Orchestra. In a show that’s 4 and half hours, it’s not all gonna be a hit and maintaining a judicious pace is important. Kim did an outstanding job at keeping the drama moving, while still bringing out the beautiful melodies. In particular, I thought that Kim excelled in bringing out the soft, and ethereal qualities of the score. The prelude to act 1 was gorgeous, and with the curtain not rising until the end, I closed my eyes to take in the gorgeous soundscape, seeing in mind’s eye the Grail materializing. It was truly stunning. Other highlights for me included the Act 3 love duet, where I thought Kim coaxed delicate sounds out of the orchestra to bring us further into the singular intimate moment between Lohengrin and Elsa. As a beginning to her project, this Lohengrin was an excellent first step, and I can’t wait to see what else Kim has in store.
Stray Thoughts
If you told me that everything that happened after Elsa’s dream was all in Elsa’s head I would 100% believe you because that bitch is crazy.
Heinrich in the napoleon gown looked like a grandma in a nursing home like they even wheeled his ass in like an old person on a plane with the spears as flags
Telramund breaking in like the kool aid man made me audibly laugh out loud
This production was notably horny and it didn't really add anything
Publish Nov. 3, 2023